R for language including sexual references, brief nudity and
some drug content. 92 min. Two stars out of four.

The play’s the thing in “Hamlet 2.” It’s just about the only
thing that makes this intentionally cringe-inducing theatrical
parody worth watching.

Sure, Steve Coogan has his hilarious moments as a delusional
drama coach struggling to save the arts program at a Tucson high
school, but that’s all there is in the movie: moments.

By now we know the British comic is capable of grabbing hold of
a character and never letting go (see: Alan Partridge), so his
commitment to playing the arrogant-but-pathetic former actor Dana
Marschz is without question. But the material director Andrew
Fleming (“Dick”) and co-writer Pam Brady (“Team America: World
Police”) give him is hit-and-miss, at best.

A lot of it was probably funnier in the conceptual stage than in
the actual execution.

In between the individually funny parts, though, is a great
morass of redundant, one-note slog, which we must endure while we
wait for Dana’s wild, wonderfully campy production, “Hamlet 2.”
It’s a musical he hopes will revive not just the school’s drama
program but his life, both professionally and personally. To call
him a has-been would be charitable; he’s more like a never-was.
This would, in theory, engender some sympathy for him, but Dana
tends to be too obnoxiously self-possessed to deserve it.

Catherine Keener co-stars as his disdainful wife, with Amy
Poehler playing the ACLU lawyer who fights to keep the totally
inappropriate production — and its jaunty, 1950s-style ditty, “Rock
Me Sexy Jesus” — from being shut down.

“Traitor” is the kind of movie so many of us yearn to see: It’s
intense and intelligent, has something to say without being
pedantic and presents complicated issues without condescending.

It even boasts a solid cast, led by Don Cheadle and including
Guy Pearce and Jeff Daniels.

So why does this film feel more than a bit off?

Perhaps because “Traitor” aims to be equal parts explosive
action picture and serious-minded character drama, it never
completely hits the mark in either regard. But through Cheadle’s
Samir Horn, “Traitor” does take the admirable step of trying to
understand and explain the philosophy of Islamic extremism.

Samir is a former U.S. special operations officer whose Muslim
faith has led him down some violent paths. As a child in Sudan, he
watched his father die in a car blast; after growing up in the
Chicago projects and joining the military, he now finds himself
selling bomb detonators to Yemenis.

Cheadle is, of course, as smart and nuanced as ever, and it’s
intriguing to see him play the role of a bad guy for once, or at
least a flawed protagonist. But he might actually be too subtle for
his own good.

In a parallel plot line, Pearce co-stars as Roy Clayton, a
low-key FBI agent with a smooth Southern drawl who is calmly trying
to track Samir down, even as bombings around the world continue to
create chaos and carnage. He and his partner, Agent Max Archer
(Neal McDonough as thuggish bad-cop) initially find Samir in a
Yemeni prison and interrogate him. Then they lose him again when he
escapes with fellow inmate Omar (the quietly intimidating Said
Taghmaoui), a Swiss-educated fundamentalist who believes just as
firmly in his cause as Samir does in his religion — a dynamic they
recognize in each other, which quickly binds them.

And yet the cat-and-mouse game continues with Samir continuing
to prove his elusiveness, even as Homeland Security steps up its
screenings and alerts with the threat of a major attack planned for
Thanksgiving Day in the United States. All of it certainly seems
relevant, resonant, even plausible — but that doesn’t necessarily
mean that anyone will want to watch it.